The Bones of Marianna: A Reform School, a Terrible Secret, and a Hundred-Year Fight for Justice (Kindle Single)

The Bones of Marianna: A Reform School, a Terrible Secret, and a Hundred-Year Fight for Justice (Kindle Single)

With its manicured lawns and well-kept college-style buildings, the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida—the largest reform school in the country—always seemed like a model for how to turn wayward teens back into productive members of society. But for decades, the century-old school’s alumni whispered about a nightmarish reality that lurked behind the gleaming façade—a legacy of beatings, sexual abuse, and even murder, the evidence buried in unmarked graves on the overgrown fringes of the property.

In The Bones of Marianna, David Kushner tells the story of the unlikely crusaders who pushed Dozier’s dark past into the light. A one-time high school football star, haunted by the memory of a departed teammate, spends years quarterbacking the fight to expose the truth, while an anthropologist uses cutting-edge technology to dig up grim secrets. Informed by months of reporting, Kushner delivers a gripping tale of hard-won justice—and exclusive details on more s…

Riveting from beginning to end

I am not often given to writing reviews, but this book was so well researched, reported and written that I feel compelled to comment and to implore anyone reading this to buy this book immediately. An emotional, heart-wrenching story and a real page turner.

I am presently scouring for other books by this writer and coming up with quite a few fascinating magazine pieces as well. I love discovering new writers and this is one to watch, though apparently he is not new, just new to me.

Excellent & Moving

I’ve read Mr. Kushner’s work in the New Yorker and Rolling Stone. It’s always exhaustively reported and the stories are incredibly well told. This true story fits right in with what i expect from Kushner’s writing: gripping story lines, well-documented true stories and always a ripping page-turner. Great Read! A story that needs to be read.

1400 Acres Of Hell!!!!

David Kushner tells it like it is!!! “The Bones Of Marianna.” I was interviewed by David for this story and I can not believe how he managed to write such a gripping story about the most abusive institution that housed children for over 100 years!!! I even learned more with this story that he has done,and “I WAS AN INMATE THERE IN 1961″ Once you start reading this you can not stop till the end!!! Please read the news paper story in the Tampa Times “100 YEARS OF HELL” in 2009 by world famous reporter “BEN MONTGOMERY” I thank you David for all the hard work you did in bringing forth the absolute truth about “THE DOZIER SCHOOL FOR BOYS”and the “WHITE HOUSE BOYS” Jerry Cooper Pres, White House Boy”s